THE VILLAGE ILWIDIOT
Walt Wiltschek
“I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” —Matt. 16:18, NIV
The camp curriculum we used this summer asked, “What’s in a name?” Using a variety of biblical stories, it invited us to consider how we are uniquely created and called by God, and how we continue to be shaped and formed more fully into who God made us to be.
The stories included Moses asking for God’s name at the burning bush, Jacob wrestling and struggling with God before being renamed Israel, Elizabeth boldly proclaiming John as the name of her newborn child, Jesus calling out Simon’s gifts with the foundational name of Peter, Naomi acknowledging the tragedies in her life by referring to herself as Mara (from the Hebrew word for “bitter”), and Zacchaeus’ call to a new identity.
The themes provoked some good reflection and discussion, and we had fun thinking about our own names and the ins and outs of our faith journeys. What would it be like to hear God calling out our name today—or are there other ways that might happen that we don’t always recognize?
I’ve pondered since then, too, the name of our church: the Church of the Brethren. We were once known as the German Baptist Brethren before taking on our new name in 1908. Other Brethren groups have split off the family tree over the years, each taking on their own names. We’ve at times debated whether the name sounds too old-fashioned, or whether it’s inclusive enough, or whether it carries baggage because of other ways “brethren” has been used or misused.
And yet it endures. At its best, the name conveys the original meaning of being siblings or members of one family—the Nigerian translation of the term means literally, “Children of the same mother.” It carries a heritage of faithful people who began Heifer Project and Brethren Volunteer Service and camps and colleges and traveled around the world to do the work of Christ. For some, it represents generations of discipleship in a variety of communities. “Brethren” even makes regular appearances in some translations of the Bible.
Names can be complex things. They can also call us to new things and fresh possibilities. What does “the Church of the Brethren” mean to you? What does it mean to the communities we serve? Are there places that we need to re-define or reshape it? Do we need to proclaim it more boldly? Do we need to re-capture more fully the sense of family it originally represented?
What, indeed, is in a name? Blessings, “Brethren,” as you live out your call in the weeks ahead.
“I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” —Matt. 16:18, NIV
The camp curriculum we used this summer asked, “What’s in a name?” Using a variety of biblical stories, it invited us to consider how we are uniquely created and called by God, and how we continue to be shaped and formed more fully into who God made us to be.
The stories included Moses asking for God’s name at the burning bush, Jacob wrestling and struggling with God before being renamed Israel, Elizabeth boldly proclaiming John as the name of her newborn child, Jesus calling out Simon’s gifts with the foundational name of Peter, Naomi acknowledging the tragedies in her life by referring to herself as Mara (from the Hebrew word for “bitter”), and Zacchaeus’ call to a new identity.
The themes provoked some good reflection and discussion, and we had fun thinking about our own names and the ins and outs of our faith journeys. What would it be like to hear God calling out our name today—or are there other ways that might happen that we don’t always recognize?
I’ve pondered since then, too, the name of our church: the Church of the Brethren. We were once known as the German Baptist Brethren before taking on our new name in 1908. Other Brethren groups have split off the family tree over the years, each taking on their own names. We’ve at times debated whether the name sounds too old-fashioned, or whether it’s inclusive enough, or whether it carries baggage because of other ways “brethren” has been used or misused.
And yet it endures. At its best, the name conveys the original meaning of being siblings or members of one family—the Nigerian translation of the term means literally, “Children of the same mother.” It carries a heritage of faithful people who began Heifer Project and Brethren Volunteer Service and camps and colleges and traveled around the world to do the work of Christ. For some, it represents generations of discipleship in a variety of communities. “Brethren” even makes regular appearances in some translations of the Bible.
Names can be complex things. They can also call us to new things and fresh possibilities. What does “the Church of the Brethren” mean to you? What does it mean to the communities we serve? Are there places that we need to re-define or reshape it? Do we need to proclaim it more boldly? Do we need to re-capture more fully the sense of family it originally represented?
What, indeed, is in a name? Blessings, “Brethren,” as you live out your call in the weeks ahead.
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